Helping identify and care for infants and their parents, caregivers, and families

We provide training and technical assistance to Tribes, states, counties, and community agencies that improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women, as well as their infants and family members affected by prenatal substance exposure. 

Resources focus on health, well-being, and the implementation of Plans of Safe Care. Training and technical assistance may include:  

  • Education on best practices related to the treatment and care of infants, parents, and families affected by substance use 
  • Development of tools for collaboration and integrated case planning across the service continuum including  the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Plans of Safe Care  
  • A review of existing tools, practice guidelines and policy related to infants with prenatal substance exposure, their parents, and family members 
  • Connections to national experts and persons with lived experience to share what’s working in their jurisdictions 

Prenatal exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs may cause a spectrum of physical and developmental challenges related to growth, behavior, cognition, executive functioning, language, and achievement.  

Prenatal exposure, along with other safety and risk factors, can have implications for child welfare services involvement. A range of prevention, early intervention, and treatment efforts can reduce negative outcomes for these infants, parents, and families. Examples of these strategies include early identification, comprehensive assessment, and engagement of pregnant persons with a substance use disorder in treatment and services, collaborative development and implementation of a Plan of Safe Care, and early engagement into developmental services for identified infants and children.  

The intersection of pregnancy and substance use creates a need for a collaborative approach that brings health, substance use treatment, child welfare, and early childhood providers together to identify and provide intervention for the multifaceted needs of infants, parents, caregivers, and family members. 

CFF ACTIVITIES

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CFF has disseminated over 38,800 materials related to infants with prenatal substance exposure since 2016
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CFF has responded to over 5,200 technical assistance requests on infants with prenatal substance exposure since 2016

SOME DATA POINTS

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45,756 infants in 50 states were referred to child welfare services as infants with prenatal substance exposure in 20221
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49,194 infants in 49 states were referred to child welfare services as infants with prenatal substance exposure in 20212
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49.5% of children who entered out-of-home care in 2021 were under age 6 and 20.5% were under age 13
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53.5% of children under age 1 who entered out-of-home care in 2021 had parental alcohol or drug abuse as a condition associated with removal4

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES 

Through federally- and foundation-funded projects, Children and Family Futures and its small business subsidiary, Center for Children and Family Futures, produces publications, reports, Technical Assistance tools and web-based learning for the field. The following are featured resources from our work. For more resources or information related to a specific topic, please visit our resources page or click the “Request Assistance” button below or at the top of the page.

  1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2024). Child Maltreatment 2022. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment
  2. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2023). Child Maltreatment 2021.https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment
  3. Center for Children and Family Futures. (2023). Analyses of the 2021 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (file number 274) [Data set]. NDACAN. https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/ Source: AFCARS Data 2021, as of 03/21/23
  4. Center for Children and Family Futures. (2023). Analyses of the 2021 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (file number 274) [Data set]. NDACAN. https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/ Source: AFCARS Data 2021, as of 03/21/23